4.4 Terrestrial Communities
resources. Particular needs include preserving biodiversity, protecting native populations and their habitats, and improving degraded habitats.
• Restore highly degraded stands; options include clear cutting and managing succession to control invasive species (i.e., ecological forestry). • Foster eforts to understand and implement appropriate management techniques (e.g., prescribed fre or thinning) for the beneft of the broadest array of oak forest-dependent wildlife, while taking into account specifc needs of wildlife with more restrictive requirements (Artman and Downhower 2003; Ford et al. 2000) . • Manage the existing conservation lands, including the use of prescribed burning to diversify structure and composition of forest understory, and other silvicultural tech- niques to promote regeneration. Tis provides an array of age class and structural com- position, and promotes long-term economic sustainability of montane oak forests. Conservation Programs and Partnerships. Conservation programs, incentives, and part- nerships should be utilized to the fullest extent in order to preserve high-quality resources and protect important natural communities. Protective measures that utilize existing regu- latory frameworks to protect habitats and species should be incorporated where applicable. Land conservation or preservation can serve numerous purposes in the face of anticipated climate change, but above all, it promotes ecosystem resilience. • Work with partners like Prescribed Fire Council and the Fire Learning Network to rein- state prescribed burning, which is perhaps the most important action that can make oak forests better able to withstand climate change.
• Create wildlife passages along highways and protect undeveloped connections.
• Identify and protect strategically important areas.
4.4.13 Dry Longleaf Pine Communities 4.4.13.1 Ecosystem Description
Dry Longleaf Pine communities range from moist sites to excessively drained coarse sands which produce near-desert conditions for plants. Longleaf Pine communities are scat- tered throughout the Sandhills and Coastal Plain ecoregions and extend into the southern Piedmont ecoregion. Tey were once the most abundant communities in the Coastal Plain, occupying most of the land that was not swamp or pocosin, but now occur as scattered remnants. With frequent fre, Longleaf Pine strongly dominates the canopy, which may range from sparse to fairly dense but is seldom completely closed. A number of variants are recognized within the community types, determined by variation in moisture, soil, and
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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